Modern diesel engines employ an electronic control module or ECM that controls and monitors engine performance. Because each diesel engine manufacturer has its own unique electronic control module design and software, a manufacturer- and engine model-specific diagnostic device and connector must be used in troubleshooting engine problems and programming the electronic control module. A great many diesel mechanics are now working on these electronic diesel engines and oftentimes experience difficulty in troubleshooting them. Part of the difficulty stems from the diagnostic devices themselves.
The current diagnostic devices provided by diesel engine manufacturers—as well as third-party diagnostic devices for these diesel engines—do not bypass the vehicle harness. Instead, the devices connect to a diagnostic connector of the harness. The devices, therefore, cannot tell a mechanic whether the problem lies in the engine itself or in the vehicle harness. In many cases, the problem lies in broken wires or the vehicle harness shorting out. In other cases, the electronic control module is not receiving power from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicle harness. Furthermore, these devices rely on the OEM controls, rather than on bypassing those controls, and cannot start and run the engine. Last, the devices cannot power the electronic control module. Because the devices do not power the electronic control module, a repaired control module or a replacement control module must be installed into a vehicle in order for the module to be programmed.
The above situation is particularly problematic in oil and gas industry-related applications in which truck-mounted drilling rigs or pulling units are employed. Diesel engine power supplied by the truck is used to raise and lower the mast and to power equipment. If the diesel engine fails during the raising of the mast, or after the mast has been raised, the truck cannot be towed offsite for repair. Additional downtime often results because the diagnostic device currently available cannot be used as an emergency device to start and control the engine and lower the mast nor to quickly determine whether the problem lies in the engine itself or in the vehicle's wiring harness.
A need exists, therefore, for a device that can bypass the vehicle harness, run and control the diesel engine, power the electronic control module, and place the control module in communication with its respective diagnostic device regardless of the original equipment manufacturer for which the control module was designed.